YEG’s Hydrogen Hub
Partnering in hydrogen development
Edmonton International Airport (YEG) is using its vast space to develop the infrastructure required to accommodate hydrogen fuel technology and bridge the future to a net-zero aviation and transportation industry. YEG’s Airport City Sustainability Campus is home to YEG’s Hydrogen Hub, providing an ecosystem to pilot emerging hydrogen technology and unlock many global partnerships. YEG’s Hydrogen Hub has taken leadership in North America as a clean fuel off-taker (H2 supply/demand aggregation) and is contributing to the hydrogen ecosystem development.
YEG is fortunate to have the space to build the infrastructure needed to create a hydrogen fuel hub and is committed to unlocking Edmonton’s hydrogen potential and supporting efforts to build a hydrogen economy for the region. Other hydrogen technologies are being tested at the airport, including hydrogen-powered shuttle buses for passengers, industrial-vehicle hydrogen fuel conversions and hydrogen for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Edmonton International Airport strongly supports the Edmonton Hydrogen Hub and the efforts to grow this industry for Alberta, Canada and the entire aviation industry. The Edmonton Metro Region is producing 60 per cent of Canada’s hydrogen and is one of the largest producers in the world.
The future is here, and it’s being developed at our airport. We are creating jobs, attracting investment and addressing the climate crisis to make the world a better place.
Watch to learn about Hydrogen at YEG
Hydrogen supports our ESG roadmap
YEG’s commitment to hydrogen reflects our values towards environmental, social and governance work. YEG is committed to reduce our emissions and reach net-zero. Combined with several hydrogen agreements and MOUs, YEG is supporting private investment attraction, job creation and economic development for the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.
Learn more about our Hydrogen developments
Efforts are underway for the development of YEG’s Hydrogen hub, aimed at ensuring a reliable and environmentally sustainable hydrogen supply to meet our future needs, aligned with our net-zero ambition and decarbonization journey. Our approach to our comprehensive hydrogen strategy covers several aspects noted below, positioning YEG as a future significant user of emissions-free hydrogen fuel.
Hydrogen vehicles
YEG operates a significant heavy-duty vehicle fleet in its operations, including snow removal vehicles and other large operations. We are looking at Dual Fuel Hydrogen applications and conversions in our heavy-duty vehicle fleet.
YEG and Toyota Canada have partnered to bring 100 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to Alberta’s roads. These Toyota Mirai vehicles will be used by YEG operations and partners in our airport ecosystem. This initiative will reduce carbon emissions and contribute to YEG’s goal of being net-zero. As a key development in Alberta’s clean fuels journey, this will be the first fleet of hydrogen-powered zero-emission vehicles in Alberta.
For more information on the Toyota Mirai and how to own your own hydrogen car, click here.
YEG and Toyota Canada partnership - hydrogen vehicles
In partnership with Hydra Energy based in British Columbia, YEG will look to use Hydra Energy’s proprietary Hydrogen as a Service (Haas) technology to covert some of its heavy-duty fleet to run on hydrogen-blended fuels to lower their emissions. This will showcase the technology with a focus on scaling operations to expand this technology to other airports and major transportation hubs both locally and globally.
YEG is also forming a partnership with Hydra Energy and VEXSL, an armoured transport company that is headquartered within the Airport City Sustainability Campus.
We are exploring options for hydrogen-fueled buses at the airport to begin use in the existing fleet that provides on-demand transit services within the Airport City Sustainability Campus, including shuttle buses which are used in parking operations to assist passengers reaching their vehicles. In this perspective, YEG has signed a partnership with Quebec-based Letenda. We are exploring with Letenda the possibility of having a hydrogen-centred maintenance and parts distribution centre to serve western Canada, located at YEG.
Hydrogen fueling
YEG will work with multiple companies for the development and operation of retail hydrogen fueling stations designed for electric fuel cell vehicles.
In order to fuel its Toyota Mirai fleet, Edmonton International Airport has partnered with Air Products, who has installed an interim mobile hydrogen refueler on site at the airport, and fueling services began in July 2023.
A partnership with FirstElement Fuel will bring the California-based company to Canada to expand its True Zero hydrogen fueling stations. True Zero operates the world’s largest network of hydrogen fueling stations for drivers and will construct a station at YEG for retail use. This will also serve as an opportunity to showcase the technology and act as a launching point for greater expansion across Alberta and Canada.
Technology partnerships
YEG is located with the regional Port Alberta Foreign Trade Zone and can work with global companies to offer opportunities for technology testing and real-world research opportunities. For hydrogen, this will involve multiple technologies.
YEG has signed an agreement with the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation (JOIN) to cooperate with each other to promote investment for leading innovation in advanced technologies, advanced manufacturing, e-commerce, distribution, logistics with YEG’s Airport City Sustainability Campus as well as YEG’s development of Canada’s first consumer-facing hydrogen hub. Technology testing will focus on opportunities to decarbonize transportation and logistics.
YEG is also welcoming to the Edmonton Metro Region, Japan-based global company Mitsui. YEG will be a future launch point and demonstration hub for Mitsui’s technologies, particularly in hydrogen and mobility. The agreement will explore opportunities for Mitsui’s companies to use the airport as a hub for cargo, distribution, and logistics as well as advanced manufacturing and assembly. Mitsui is headquartered in Toyko, Japan and has 129 offices in 63 countries. It is a global leader in areas of worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in fields such as Energy, Infrastructure Projects, Mobility, Chemicals, Iron & Steel Products, Food, Food & Retail Management, Wellness, IT & Communication Business, and more.
Aviation partnerships 
ZeroAvia, the leader in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, is partnering with YEG to explore opportunities to deliver zero-emission flights and decarbonize ground operations. The partnership targets exploring the use of hydrogen for decarbonization of aircraft operations, and also the wider airport ecosystem. To support this collaboration, ZeroAvia will leverage its experience in developing and operating its Hydrogen Airport Refuelling Ecosystem (HARE).